National Cupcake Week kicks off!

For the whole of this week, September 13-19, the UK will be bingeing on cupcakes as we celebrate National Cupcake Week.

The event, launched in 2009 by British Baker, has already seen an art installation created in Westfield Shopping Centre London, using 5,000 cupcakes to depict the face of Olympic boxer James de Gale.

The cakes were baked by Lily Vanilli and organised by blogger Ms Cakehead for National Cupcake Week's television media partner, Food Network UK (Sky channel 262). Food Network will be screening coverage of National Cupcake Week throughout the week.

National Cupcake Week is currently riding high on Twitter's UK trending ranking - the barometer of hot talking points on the social media website. "National Cupcake Week!" tweeted Sarah Brown, Britain's former first lady. "Bad, but brilliant idea."

Hundreds of cupcake makers up and down the land are getting in on the action and using the week to market their wares.

To celebrate being crowned Cupcake Champion of Great Britain, as part of our National Cupcake-off competition, David Bennett of the Sunshine Bakery in North Allerton, Leeds, is running his own competition to win 50 of the best cupcakes in Britain.

National Cupcake Week is sponsored by bakery ingredients supplier Renshaw and cupcake cases maker Chevler, and is supported by BFP Wholesale and Robert Dyas. For more information and news, click on the links below, or follow @CupcakeWeek on Twitter.